Brandon Nimmo arrived at the same crossroads almost a decade later, under different Mets ownership. But as much as Nimmo had a difficult time envisioning a Queens departure, he decided he owed it to himself to at least explore free agency. Nimmo took the tour, but chose to stay after receiving an offer that might have exceeded even his expectations.

Wright and Nimmo ultimately got what they had wanted when the process started, albeit taking different approaches.

That brings us to Pete Alonso, who appears certain to hit free agency after this season, leaving in question whether he will get the opportunity to join Wright and potentially Nimmo (whose contract runs through his age-37 season and contains a no-trade clause) as Mets for life. Alonso has repeatedly stated his desire to remain in the only organization he’s known as a professional.

Two years ago, Nimmo began spring training in the same spot Alonso now sits, entering his walk year and feeling the pressure to succeed.

“You kind of have to let the results be themselves,” Nimmo said. “You can get all wrapped up in it, but in my experience that hasn’t made things any better. … Don’t get me wrong: there’s some tough times you go through and you are like, ‘Man, I need to turn it around.’ But you have to get back to that positive mindset.”

Nimmo hired Scott Boras to represent him in his final year before free agency. Alonso is following that blueprint — he switched to Boras last October, after receiving strong reviews from Nimmo on the mega-agent.

Boras mentored Nimmo throughout his walk year, telling him what he could expect when free agency officially began. Sometimes there would be a call from the agent simply to tell Nimmo there was a part of his game that appeared to be lagging.